Bound to be with the ruthless mafia

Chapter Two Mia sat on the floor crying. She had lived with José for two years—she knew he wasn’t a man who bluffed. He was even more ruthless than his father, a devil no one dared cross. How on earth did she ever think she could escape him?This wasn't the time to think—she needed to act. It was already a blessing that José hadn’t mentioned Henry. If he knew she had a son, Henry would have been his first target. She wasn’t going to wait around to see his next move. She had to move fast.She picked up her phone and called Kate.“I need you here. Now,” she said, pacing the room in a towel, water still dripping from her body.“Okay, I’ll be there in thirty minutes,” Kate replied from the other end. I need to go to the police and report this.“I don’t have thirty minutes,” Mia replied, almost yelling. You need to come home now. The police would do us no good.She knew the police weren't going to help in this case. It was way above them.“Calm down, Mia,” Kate said gently. “I know we’re

Chapter 4Kate stayed beside Steve in the hospital. Sitting on the grey couch, beside his bed, she prayed to God every minute that he pulled through. The doctor had given her a bit of hope that he might pull through. Though a thousand questions ran through her mind, her top priority remained Steve and Henry.She glanced at her phone, hoping to see a message from Mia. An explanation or a clue of what was going on but there was nothing. Just friends and family asking the same questions.Kate… Kate, Steve called out, his voice weak as his eyes fluttered open.She jerked up from the couch, where she had dozed off.Steve, you're awake… thank God,” she said, rising quickly, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I need to get the doctor.”Kate, wait… Where’s Mia?” he asked, his voice raspy.I’ll just go get the doctor, she replied quickly, avoiding the question. Mia had left her in a terrible situation, and Kate didn’t even have the answers herself. How could she explain what she didn’t understa

Chapter Six Eileen walked in on Josh in the kitchen. He stood in front of the open fridge, looking for food.“Good morning, Josh,” she said softly.Josh didn’t respond.“I can see you’re hungry. I made some spaghetti with prawns. I wanted to bring some for you, but you were still asleep. Just give me a minute, I’ll warm it up for you.”“I’d rather eat horse shit than your poison,” Josh replied coldly as he grabbed a bottle of soda and slammed the fridge shut.Later, Eileen knocked gently on Josh’s door, holding a plate of spaghetti and prawns.“Josh, you have to eat,” she said, her voice calm but pleading. “Mrs. Maya won’t be back until after lunch—she went grocery shopping. You can’t starve until then. Please, just come and eat. Or at least tell me what you want, and I’ll prepare it for you.”Josh didn’t respond. He slipped on his headset and turned up the volume.“Josh… Josh…” Eileen kept calling. “You can keep hating me, but I’m begging you… just come out and eat. Please.”The doo

Chapter EightSteve had become a shadow of himself — from a bright, funny dad to someone who just stayed home and drank. Kate had been by his side, caring for him and Henry. It broke her heart to see Steve this broken. But she knew why, Love could hurt sometimes.He had waited an entire month for a message from Mia, but got nothing. He had tried to look for her, but he didn’t even know where to begin. He searched online, pulling up mafia family photos, scanning through every face in hopes of finding hers. He didn’t know if she was still in the country or…All he wanted was to see her again. Just to know that she was okay.He opened her wardrobe and held her clothes tight, burying his face in them and inhaling her scent. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He was frustrated — no, he was beyond that. He punched the wall until his fists began to bleed. Then he grabbed the vase from the table and hurled it to the floor.It shattered.And there, among the shards of glass, lay Mia’s phone.He a

Chapter ten It was a lovely Saturday morning. The birds chirped outside, their beautiful song floating through the open window and gently waking Eileen. She had slept deeply, the kind of sleep that only came after emotional exhaustion and the fragile hope of progress. Last night was fruitful. She had taken a step—her first real step—toward freedom. That thought alone brought a tiny smile to her face. Downstairs, she could hear José’s voice, low and gruff, talking with his men. She lay still, listening. He was giving orders—telling Tommy and Mike to be at the shore early, to retrieve a shipment and take it straight to the club. Evie’s Club. On the surface, it was all flashing lights and cocktails—just another place where the city’s party crowd came to lose themselves. But underneath the glitz, it was one of José’s fronts. Everyone in the underworld knew it. Beneath the bass-thumping music and the pop of champagne corks, there was human trafficking, money laundering, drugs... all the